Crossing Tioga Pass in November?

Hi, great forum!

I am planning a similar trip, SF-Napa-Yosemite-Death Valley-Vegas-San Diego.

The only problem is, we are doing this trip in November! I can see that being able to cross Tioga pass is crucial to this trip, we will be hoping to complete this leg on November 15th, what do you think the chances are of being able to cross the pass on this date?

Chances Are

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

"Chance" is exactly the right term to use here, as at this point one can only guess. The majority of guesses thus far would indicate that your planned crossing of Tioga Pass in the middle of November is precarious at best.

Convenient, but certainly not crucial!

Originally Posted by BritBronco

I am planning a similar trip, SF-Napa-Yosemite-Death Valley-Vegas-San Diego.The only problem is, we are doing this trip in November! I can see that being able to cross Tioga pass is crucial to this trip

I can just about guarantee that Tioga Pass will be closed that late in the year (it had better be or the drought will have become untenable...) However, you can still do your trip -- you can cross the Sierra Nevada mountains using several of the passes to the north of Tioga or go around the southern end. Not a problem at all.

Thanks for that info. If the pass is shut what would say is the quickest route to Death Valley?
I looks to me like we would have to exit the Park to the West, go back up the 120 and then take the 108 to the North of the park accross to the 395.

The Fastest

The Fastest Route from Yosemite to Death Valley when Tioga Pass is closed is to exit the park to the South, take CA-99 to Bakersfield, and then Take CA-58 over the Mountains and then go back North towards DV once you get to Mojave.

The links found here should help answer most of your questions about this very popular trip.

That road is closed also

Originally Posted by BritBronco

Thanks for that info. If the pass is shut what would say is the quickest route to Death Valley?
I looks to me like we would have to exit the Park to the West, go back up the 120 and then take the 108 to the North of the park accross to the 395.

The two roads to the north of Yosemite (108 & 4) are also closed in the winter (snowmobiling!), so as another poster said, the quickest is to head south.